There's More To Life Than Stupid Boys
by samwrites132
Summary: In which Max realises all at once why she likes holding Eleven's hand so much. Takes place during the sleepover of season 3 but no spoilers.


Max had first noticed it at Starcourt.

The warm feeling that blossomed in her stomach when she gripped El's hand and followed her through the throngs of people at the mall. The feeling that she never wanted to let go. El's enthusiastic nod after Max had declared "There's more to life than stupid boys!" gave her too much joy. It scared her a little bit; why did she like the contact with her and why couldn't she rip her eyes away from El when she danced around in her new clothes? Max didn't have many female friends- well, scratch that, many friends at all, even back in California- but she had a feeling that she wasn't meant to feel so… _much_ for the girl. Especially not after what happened last year.

She also noticed how happy she felt when Eleven dumped Mike. She'd smiled so wide it could split her face in half and even let out a laugh at Wheeler's stunned face. When they got on the bus, it simply got better. The sat so close their knees brushed as they ate their ice cream. Their high five made Max's heart skip several beats, and without meaning to she locked their fingers together and grinned even wider. The same feeling happened, her body filling with warmth and her heart speeding up.

So, here they were sat on the floor poring over a magazine. Max had put on the radio, purely to make El happy. Their sides pressed against each other, hands tantalisingly close and shy smiles on their faces. The floor was doing wonders for their proximity but not so much for their spines. They moved to the bed and, still poring over the teen magazine Max had brought, Eleven landed on a poster of the Karate Kid. Max glanced at the page and smiled before tapping the page. "I bet he's such an _amazing_ kisser."

El frowned at that. "Is… Lucas an _amazing_ kisser?" Max couldn't help but wrinkle her nose in disgust. "Um… he's okay I guess?" A pause. "Is Mike?" Suddenly, Max could hear blood rushing in her ears. Why had she said that? That was weird oh god she's going to- "No. I mostly just, go along with whatever he does." Relief again. Max was still confused by how she felt whenever El mentioned Mike, but she knew that relief wasn't the… right reaction for what El had just said. The air in the room suddenly felt thick, the weight of their words seeping into the atmosphere. "Are," She swallowed heavily before continuing, "are you sure you even like Mike?" The Cyndi Lauper song playing in the background was the only noise for a minute while Eleven frowned to herself and seemed to mull it over. It was nerve-wracking for Max, who started fiddling with the blanket on the bed.

"Well… if he likes me, I have to like him, right?" She spoke slowly, as she often did, trying to understand. Max's eyes shot up to meet El's. She seemed genuinely confused by the concept that she didn't have to like Mike just because he kissed her and took her to the Snowball. "No. Not at all, actually." Max thought about Lucas- sweet Lucas who'd kissed her at the dance and who held her hand while she skated, and all at once realised she was just 'going along with it' for his benefit. She'd so obviously confused platonic love for romantic because he held feelings for her. She never quite understood what he meant when he described how he felt when Max first showed interest and gushed over everything about her- but here now, with El, she was starting to. "Max?" She realised that she hadn't said anything for a while, and she must've confused El even more. With no warning, she stood up.

A smile built on her freckled face as she paced the room, feeling El's eyes glued to her. "You might just like Mike as friends, or maybe you don't like _boys_ anyway." Max made sure to emphasise her disgust with the male species, wrinkling her nose and throwing her hands up. That piqued El's interest and her mouth fell open slightly. She was blushing at Max's outburst. "What? How will I know if I don't like boys?" Max's cheeks flared, and she mumbled to herself, not meeting El's wide eyes. She shook her head in response. "Speak up."

"We could kiss. Just to try it?"

Silence.

"I mean if you're comfortable with that, we totally don't have to or anything." Max giggled nervously and pulled at a hangnail while Eleven watched her. She drew shapes on the floor with her shoe while waiting for a response. "Okay." Max's eyes shot up and she pulled the hangnail so hard it bled. "Shit! Really?" A shy nod.

Max moved as if she was stuck in molasses, but eventually made it to the bed. They sat across from each other, something they'd done before but something that felt more intimate now. Max had kissed Lucas a hundred times or more but this kiss, with Eleven, felt more serious. She opened her mouth to say that they really didn't have to if El didn't want to- when she felt lips pressed against hers. Max's blue eyes widened before they slid shut and she started kissing back.

It felt right.

Righter than it ever had with Lucas or that boy from the skate park in California. El made her feel safe, confident. Max had kissed before, but she had always assumed she didn't like it. Didn't like the way Lucas clashed his teeth against hers or the stubble that scratched at her chin when he was 'trying out' that awful half-beard. El was soft and relaxed, as if she was made to kiss Max.

The kiss must have only lasted about 30 seconds, and when they pulled away, they just stared at each other. Max examined the way her hair fell around her face, the way her cheeks were a lovely shade of almost-red. She reached for El's hand and squeezed when she took it. "So that's what kissing is." Eleven breathed out, her eyes never leaving Max.

"Yeah."

"I love it." Max blushed at this and finally cast her eyes down. She smiled despite herself and gripped El's hand tighter. "So, what happens now?" Max's voice had never sounded so small. El frowned. "Aren't we… girlfriends?" Max grinned wider and met her eyes. She had unknowingly been wanting to hear those words- from a girl- her entire life. "Absolutely! Man this is so tubular."

El started laughing. She laughed so hard she fell forward into Max's lap. Their eyes met and tender smiles stretched across each of their faces. The stare was only broken when Eleven innocently asked the question.

"Now can we kiss again?"


End file.
